Saving Armen
by Retroformer108
Summary: Amanda was a strange girl. She was there in the shadows as Armen, Grayson, and Drake all battled Herobrine in the lost city of Ironmere. No one knows how she got there, only that she did. Herobrine seemed to be hunting her. Armen felt as though he knew why he and her shared so many memories. Now it's up to the two of them to stop Herobrine before it's too late for everyone. Haunted
1. The Haunting

**So this is the first of the rewritten chapters. It starts just after the second life Haunting movie. The beginning might now make sense at first.  
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**Amanda POV**

I woke up in a strange town. My head was hurting like crazy, like I had just been in a huge explosion or something. I could only remember my name. I sat up and shook the dirt from my hair. I saw a window nearby. I went up to it and looked at myself. Staring back at me was a skinny black-haired girl with a dagger on her back. I grabbed the handle and pulled it out of the sheath. On the blade were the initials A.A. I frowned at that. I put the dagger back in the sheath and explored the area around me. The town was quiet small. A sign said, "Ruby Shire School." Man, that sounded familiar. I heard the crunch of gravel underfoot and looked a bit behind me. Two boys were coming over a bridge. One looked a lot like me, strangely, and the other looked half enderman. "Uh, hello?" I asked. They stopped at my voice. "Oh, hi. And here we were thinking the town was completely deserted." the half enderman said. "What are your names?" I asked. "I'm Drake and this is Armen." Drake said. Armen seemed to be staring at me. "Uh, are you okay?" I asked. "Sorry. Yes, I am. You remind me of someone who I lost many moons ago." he said. "Well, I'm Amanda. I kinda just woke up here." I said. "Do you have any idea where we are?" Drake asked. "Ruby Shire." I answered. They shared a strange look. "That sounds so familiar." Armen said. "Uh, would you two mind if I tagged along? I have nowhere else to go." I said. "Of course. We should probably tell you that Herobrine is haunting us." Drake said. Herobrine? Another familiar name. "Okay. Let's get going." I said. We started towards a building that had an interesting pipe inside. I looked up and saw a figure on a rooftop. He had pale white eyes. I felt my headache get worse and I fell to my knees, clutching my head. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Armen and Drake both wincing at headaches. I felt faint and passed out.

I winced as I opened my eyes. It was very hot and ash was in the air. I coughed and got to my feet. I cast a look around and saw the others getting up as well. "You two okay?" Drake asked. "Yeah, aside from a splitting headache." I said, rubbing my head. Armen was coughing really hard in a corner. "Hey, you alright, dude?" I asked. "Yeah, I'm good. Ash just got in my lungs." he said, coughing again. A dark tunnel was the only exit. I had a bad feeling about it. "I don't like this." Drake said. "Sorry, dude. It's the only exit." Armen said. I took a deep breath and walked in. The darkness came around me so dark I couldn't see in front of me. "Uh, are you two there? I can't worth shit right now." I said. "Yeah, I'm here." Drake said. "Uh, I can only see a hole in front of us." Armen said. "Well, head for it and hopefully we'll all end up in the same place." Drake said. I stumbled blindly towards it and felt my head hurt again. I felt the faint feeling return and I blacked out again.

I woke up on a bed in a very soft looking place. I sat up and looked around. The others were also on beds. Armen was snoring slightly. I shook Drake awake. "Where are we?" he asked. "I don't know. It's very quiet here." I said. Armen had a dagger in his hand as well. "Well, we should probably get going." he said, heading out the door. I was right behind him with Drake behind me. I had my dagger out as well. I gripped it tight as we headed down the short hallway to a main room. I put my dagger back in my sheath. Someone walked by with a strange head. They had a wither skeleton skull on their head. "Uh, what should we do?" Armen whispered. "I vote we just go talk to them." I whispered back. Drake stayed silent. I looked behind us for a second. As I looked in front again, the guy had taken off his skull. Underneath was a boy's face with blond hair and green eyes. He put a toolbox down and went into the back room. Armen crept up and was about to grab the toolbox when the new guy came back in. He had a gun in his hands and was aiming it at us. "Uh, hi." I said. "Who are you?" he asked. He was frowning, not a good sign. "Well, I'm Drake and these are Armen and Amanda. We kinda woke up in the back room. I guess I should thank you for taking care of us?" Drake explained. "I haven't taken care of anyone." he said. I looked at him. He looked at me. "Excuse me, what is your name?" I asked. "Grayson." he said. "What is this facility?" I asked. "An oil rig in the middle of the Arctic." Grayson said. "Oh, well, if it's an Arctic, then it must be freezing outside. Would it be okay if the three of us stayed here for the night?" I asked. "Yeah, sure. You can stay in the empty one. There's a bunk bed in there." he said, heading into his room. "Thanks, Grayson." Drake said. He just nodded and shut his door. We went into the empty room and closed the door. "Well, it's good that we can stay here for the night." I said. Armen remained silent. I let out a yawn and leaned against the wall. "You two take the beds. I'll just sleep on the floor." I said. "No, Amanda. I've slept on worse than the floor. You take it." Drake said. "Drake, please. I can handle one night on the floor." I said, sliding down the wall. "Okay, if you're sure." he said. I went sideways and shut my eyes. I heard Armen getting up on top bunk as I drifted to sleep.

_It was super dark. I was really scared. I looked down at myself and saw I was in a dress. A dress? Why would I wear a stupid dress? I walked forward and the darkness lifted entirely. It was still night and the stars were shining down on a certain house. I went up to the window and looked in. Two very familiar figures were walking around. A very young boy was sleeping on a bed just below the window. In the female's arms was a baby. Their voices floated through the window. "I hope she lives to be the perfect sister for our little Armen. They both have a challenging future ahead of them." the female said. Armen? I wondered who the baby girl was. "Yes, Shiela. Amanda will be." the male said. Me?! I'm Armen's sister?! I let out a scream but it sounded too manly._

I bolted up and saw Drake panting a bit. "Drake, are you okay?" I asked, getting up. "Yeah, sorry. I just had a strange dream." he said, rubbing his eyes. Armen was getting up as well. I looked out the tiny window but couldn't really see much. It was a bit lighter. I opened the door and went out. "Maybe we should see if Grayson is around." I said. We went outside and it was freezing. The snow was super cold against my skin. I wrapped my upper arms for warmth as we ran to the rig. It was a tad warmer inside. I still was shivering a lot. We didn't see him inside. Back inside, I had a sudden flashback to a long forgotten memory. I fell and blacked out.

"Amanda! Answer me!" a voice cried. I winced. "You don't need to scream in my ear." I said, getting up. I saw the snow around me and realized we were outside. "How did we get out here?" I asked. "Herobrine was watching us. We had to get away." Grayson said. Armen was looking at me worriedly. We headed for an old part of the surrounding area around the rig. "This looks ancient. How did you not know this was all here before?" Drake asked. "I never really left the rig itself. This is all new to me." Grayson said. We continued on, just looking around. A floating bow and arrow chased us. I took an arrow to the shoulder. I pulled it out as we got inside another building. Inside was a crystal chest. Armen grabbed the book. The bow was cracking the window behind Drake. Going up a ladder, we found a portal. "Armen, try to fit the book in." Grayson said. Armen tried but finally just dropped it. Grayson managed to get the book in and the portal opened. The bow came back and shot Drake in the arm. "Okay, I'm going through." Grayson said. I was right behind him. The portal dropped us in a forest at night. I went up some stairs. Grayson was right behind us. A smell floated through the trees to me. It smelled of human burning. "Grayson, are you smelling this?" I asked him. "Yeah, it stinks." he said, wrinkling his nose. We followed the path and the smell got worse. I had to plug my nose as we got closer. The bone yard was even worse. Ash was floating through the air all around us. "This isn't good. What could have happened here?" Grayson said, looking all around. This whole place was very familiar to me. "Grayson, this might sound weird but, this place is familiar to me." I said. "That is weird. How could it be familiar to you if you've never been here?" he asked. I shrugged. I felt a presence behind me. I turned and only saw white eyes before my eyes shut. I woke up in a cage with my hands tied behind my back. There was lava everywhere and three diamonds in a shrine next to me. "Your friends will not succeed." a deep voice said. I looked into the darkness behind me and saw Herobrine floating above the lava next to my cage. "They will. They'll stop you at all costs to find me." I said. He shot a bolt of light at me and I felt my strength leave me. I fell on my side and just watched as Herobrine left through a hole in the wall. A tear fell down my cheek. "Brother, I'm sorry." I said as I closed my eyes.

**Armen POV**

As we came through the portal, I felt really nauseous. "Okay, I officially hate portals." I said, shutting my eyes. "Yeah, I agree." Drake said. We went up the stairs and smelled a horrible stench. "Oh god. It smells like a barbecue." I said, plugging my nose as we got closer to the bone yard. "Yeah, what could have happened here?" Drake asked. Ash was everywhere. We came to a river and swam across. I heard a cough and sneaked up a tree to see a familiar person. "Uh, Drake? I think Grayson might be trying to sleep there." I whispered. He nodded and quietly opened the door. The man jumped up at the creak and smiled. "Man, it's been ages since I had company." Grayson said. "What do you mean?" Drake asked. Grayson looked down at the floor. "Grayson, what happened? Where's Amanda?" I asked. "We were heading through the forest. I tried to find her but she was gone. I searched the entire area, including a city to the east. She's gone." he said. A tear fell down my cheek at that. She was gone? "Grayson, we need to find her." I said, determination in my voice. "Armen, face it. She's gone. Amanda is never coming back. My crew is gone because of him! Don't you think I searched for them when they disappeared?! I never found a trace of them!" he cried. I never knew that. "I'm sorry, Grayson. I didn't know." I said. "Let's head to the city. Maybe Amanda is beneath it or something." Drake said. Grayson led the way but he was really silent. The city was huge. We went through it building by building, starting with the library. I found a ladder behind some shelves. Going up it, we got to a tree and down to the ground. The city was completely deserted, only ghosts left. I kept getting headaches as we headed below ground to an underground lava cave made out of a black rock. A cage was erected over lava. "Amanda!" I cried. I jumped down and ran up some stairs. She was laying on her side with her hands tied behind her back. I was prepared to launch myself at the cage but Drake held me back. "Armen, it's over lava! You'll die!" he said, grabbing my arm. "Drake, you don't understand! I feel like I remember her!" I shouted. Herobrine appeared above us. I shoved Drake against the wall as arrows rained down on us. One got me in the knee. Grayson had one in his temple. It was bleeding quite a bit. I just looked up at Herobrine. A sword was glowing near me. I grabbed it and felt like I could hurt Herobrine with it. "I'm sorry, Amanda. I hope you can forgive me, little sister." I muttered. I looked Herobrine straight in the eyes. "Screw it! I've had enough of this!" I yelled, charging at him and hitting him square in the heart. There was a large flash of lightening and we fell into the lava. "NO! ARMEN!" a girl's voice yelled. I managed to see Amanda's face one last time before I went under for the final time. I shut my eyes as I burned to nothing but ash.

**Amanda POV**

I just couldn't contain tears as I saw my brother die below me. "No, no, no." I kept muttering until it just became a jumble. I shut my eyes and just let the tears fall. "I'm sorry, Amanda. I didn't know he was your brother." Drake said, helping me out of the cage. I fell to my knees, too weak to stand. Grayson helped me get to my feet. I kept staring at the lava, right where Armen jumped in to save us from Herobrine. I just let Grayson lead me out of the cave. Drake was sighing and muttering under his breath. I just stared at the ground as we set up camp outside a jungle. Grayson set up a tent and got a fire going. I noticed he had an arrow in his head. "Grayson, maybe you should get the arrow out." Drake said. "Oh, good idea." Grayson said, wincing as he pulled it out. A lot of blood was now dripping down on his shoulder, staining his shirt red. I just sat next to the fire, staring into it. I was numb, still reeling from what Armen did. Drake sat next to me. "Amanda, it's okay. I never knew he was your brother." he said. "You just don't get it. Herobrine has been after me for many years. I don't even know why. I guess he's been after Armen since he's my brother. You two just got dragged into it since you're with us. It's because of me Armen's dead. If I could, I bring Armen back at the cost of my own life." I said, tears falling down my face and to the grass. I stood up. "I need to go. I'm sorry. I have to leave. I don't to be reminded of anything by you two traveling with me." I said. "Alright. Be safe. It should be day soon." Grayson said. "Make sure you bandage that wound." I said as I left. I didn't want to leave my friends behind but I had to so I couldn't be reminded of Armen through them. "Goodbye." I whispered as I left.

I got to a different place I hadn't seen before and just looked around. It was a wasteland area. But there was still villages everywhere. It had taken a few weeks of travel to get here. I wondered what this place was called. Ahead was a giant fortress. I went closer but guards stopped me. "Identify yourself!" one guard demanded. I stepped back, scared of what they might try to do. "Uh, I'm Amanda." I said. "Are you here to see if there is anymore open spots in the Emperor's army?" the other guard asked. It seemed like a good idea. It might help me forget about my brother. "Yes. I'm here to sign up for the army." I said. "Hmm, it's very unusual for a girl to apply but a few soldiers are women. One of our best archers is a girl around your age. Come with me." the second guard said. I followed him into the palace. It was massive. "By the way, I'm Troy. I used to be in the army but after a devastating injury to my arm that put an end to my archery days, I was assigned to guard duty." Troy said. He was kinda cute. "Nice to meet you, Troy." I said. The Emperor was sitting on his throne in the throne room. He was quite fat from easy work. "Your Royal Highness, I have a new recruit for the army." Troy said, bowing. I followed his example and bowed as well. "Hmm, does this boy have a name?" the Emperor asked. "Excuse me, Your Highness, but she is a girl named Amanda." Troy said. "Oh, my bad. Sorry, Amanda. Come with me and we shall test your combat skills." the Emperor said. I followed him to a training room where several other soldiers were training. One was huge and using a bludgeon. I reminded myself never to tangle with him. "Now, Troy will help you get to know which weapon is the best for you. We have every type you can imagine. Just try what weapon you think will suite you." he said. "Thank you, Emperor." I said, bowing. He left and I was alone with Troy. "Well, now we have to try out the weapons. Just pick a sword to start and attack the dummies in the back." Troy said. I nodded and took a diamond sword from the rack. "Well, a new girl has decided to join us. Hopefully you last longer than one battle." the huge soldier said, sneering. I growled at him. "I can last for more than 10 battles, thank you very much!" I yelled. "Ah, it looks like we have a brave tiny girl here. You won't last the first minute. You'll be dead at the first soldier's swing." he said. I so badly wanted to attack him. Troy grabbed my arm. "Amanda, now is not the time. You can take him down a few pegs later. It's the training session right now. Just forget about him." he said. "No, if he wants to go right now, I'll be happy to kick his ass." I said. "Oh, you want a beating, is that right?" the soldier asked, grinning. "Fine, but I won't help you." Troy said. "Fine, I don't need help." I said, smirking. We each took a sword in each hand. I twirled my swords around and pointed them at him. "Ready to lose?" I asked, smirking. We went outside into the training yard.

I stood facing him and had each sword pointing at the ground. "Are you ready to lose, little girl?" the soldier asked. "Oh, I'm not going to lose. You're going down, little man." I said. "No one calls me little and gets away with it!" he roared and charged at me. I waited until the final moment and jumped out of the way, cutting down as I jumped. Once the dust cleared, he had a cut across his arm. Blood dripped down his arm. He looked at me with hatred in his eyes. "Lucky cut." he said. This time I charged at him. He didn't expect me to change attack and I kicked him under the chin, making him fall. I had a sword at his throat. "We're done here." I said, turning to leave. I didn't expect him to throw his sword and I cried out as his sword got my leg. I went down and was bleeding severely. I grimaced and saw him standing over me. I got a panicked look in my eyes to throw him off. He didn't see my arm throw a sword at him. It got him across the chest and he fell, unconscious. "Okay, Amanda. Let's get you to the medical area." Troy said. He helped me stand. "I can't believe someone finally beat him. He's a menace. Many soldiers tried to beat him but they never could. How could you, someone with no training, beat him?" Troy asked. "I have had training. I forget who did. I used to remember but I've forgotten many memories. I don't even know why." I said. The medic looked at me suspiciously when we got inside. "Bruce is going too far." he said. "She put him in his place." Troy said. The medic raised his eyebrow. "She did? How? She's just a teen." he said. "I may be just a teen, but I'm killer with a sword." I said, frowning. "Well, I'm going to get Bruce so you can tend to him as well." Troy said, leaving. I just watched the medic work and was released towards night time. I watched as they worked on Bruce as I left. Troy met me at the entrance to the training grounds. "Amanda, great work. I managed to find some dirt on Bruce. He's a spy from the Redstone Republic." he said. "What's the Redstone Republic?" I asked. He looked at me like I had a second head. "You serious?" he asked. I nodded. He sighed. "It's the Republic to the north. You should of learned of it when you were school." he said. "I haven't been to school for many years. I've learned much of what I know just by experience." I said. He looked at me. "How long ago were you in school?" he asked. "Not since about first grade. I can't remember what happened after that. I was with my brother and two friends when we came to an ancient city. It felt familiar to me. It did to my brother as well. We got into a lava cave below it and he fell into the lava. I still miss him." I said. He smiled at me and I smiled back. After that we became really good friends and even married a month later. We had a daughter, Ashley. I found out that my brother didn't actually die. Herobrine had merged with him since his own body was too damaged for him to use. I found this out a few weeks before my wedding.

I had just gotten back from a very successful mission in the Redstone Republic when the Emperor pulled me aside. "Amanda, I might have some news for you." he said. "Yes, Emperor?" I asked. "Troy told me about your experience in an ancient city. I'm sorry your brother died there. But maybe he survived." he said. "Sir, how could he survive lava? It's impossible unless you have a fire resistance potion. They're super hard to make." I said. "There have been reports of a boy looking a lot like you destroying villages in the Badlands. They say he has one white eye and one eye the same shade of blue as yours. He flies above them and fires fireballs at them." the Emperor said. I gasped. "No, it's not possible." I muttered. The Emperor looked at me furiously. "What is not possible?!" he demanded. "Sir, Herobrine has merged with him. I have to go to the Badlands to find him and see if I can try and force Herobrine out of him somehow." I said. "No! I refuse. You are to remain here in the Empire at your post until after your wedding." the Emperor ordered. I growled as I left to head back to my house.

Once Ashley was born, I got into spying for the Redstone Republic. I never told anyone I was from a different time period. The portal had, apparently, brought the four of us to a time either way in the future or far in the past. The Emperor found out I was a spy and cast me out. I got back to my house only to see it in flames and Ashley crying out for me. "Ashley!" I yelled. "Mommy!" she screamed. Two guards grabbed me and I forced to my knees. I watched my only daughter get executed in front of me. I broke free of the guards and held Ashley as she died in my arms. My hands were covered in her blood. I shook in rage and a strange glow came into my eyes. My eyes turned white and I killed the guards. The glow left and I was very weak after. More guards arrived and I grabbed again. I was dragged to the palace. The Emperor was looking very angry. "Amanda, you are forever exiled from the Empire. If you ever step foot here again, you will die." he said. I just bowed my head. "Just because I was caught spying for the Redstone Republic doesn't give you the right to execute my daughter! And what about the night I found my husband dead in the bed next to me?!" I yelled. "The part about your husband isn't me. Executing your daughter was to teach you a lesson and to let everyone else know the price of betraying me." he said. I broke free of the guards and tried to kill the Emperor. I wasn't able to so I had to run. I ran to the Badlands and had to start a new life here. Hopefully, it would go better than my time in the Empire. I had heard rumors that Grayson had done the same. I wondered if I would ever meet up with him or Drake again.

**Well, that ends the first rewritten chapter. Hope you enjoy it! Each chapter will be about each episode and be called accordingly. I'm not all that familiar with the Haunted anymore since it's been a long time since I saw it. I'll have to rewatch it to get back into the mind set of it!  
**

**-GamerGirl108**


	2. Reunion

**Well, I'm back! Hopefully this will turn out better than last chapter. I have to admit I'm not the best writer but I'm doing my best. Enjoy! :)  
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**Amanda POV**

I stood on the top of the hill and looked around. It was very desolate around my area. I looked back at my cabin. It was a very small thing I had found just after I was exiled from the Empire. I was originally going to the Redstone Republic but I would have to go through the Empire to get there, and with my face being one of the most wanted, I didn't want to risk my being found. I sighed and headed into the nearby town of Mortum to get a few supplies. I payed for some gear with what I had left over from my days as commander of the Army for the Emperor of the East. I remember a few Elven girls being forced to sit at the foot of his throne just as trophies. A certain one named Mia was very interesting to me. She was the princess of the nearest Elven kingdom. Her father had marched into the Empire one day demanding his daughter's return. The Empire just had him killed in front of her. She was tears and tried to stab the Emperor. He had her put in the dungeons. I visited her several times so she got to know me. Mia was just a confused girl. She was there for thirty years before I got there. I heard she had escaped through the help of a close friend. It was nice to have friends like that. I didn't. All my "friends" turned me in just for a marque each. It disgusted me

I shook my head to get rid of the memories and looked up into the sky. "No! He's attacking!" a young boy yelled. I saw Armenbrine just below the tree level. I wanted to help but I couldn't do anything so I quickly ran out of there. I heard the screams of the villagers as they died. A tear fell down my face at the fact that I was running away. I wiped it away and quickly got back to my cabin. I decided to just travel for a few weeks and see how far I could get. The Red Keep is where I would start. I slept and started in the morning.

I burned down my cabin so the Empire would never find it. Mercenaries had come close to finding it a week ago. I had hid in the cave nearby as they went by. I got down to the path coming down from the mountain. I knew orcs used to live up there but I didn't know if anyone else had occupied it. I had considered it but I wasn't fond of heights. I went to the sign for Uldun and saw an all too familiar person. No one else was half enderman. "Drake!" I yelled as I ran to him. He looked up at my voice and smiled a bit. "It's been forever since I last saw a familiar face." he said. "So how have you been?" I asked. "Pretty good. Been traveling a lot." he said. "Well, I was with the Empire for two years but I was exiled." I said. "What happened?" he asked as we went into Uldun. "Let's just say I'm a traitor." I said. He looked at me but didn't press for details. I just looked at the ground. I wanted to tell him everything but wasn't sure he wouldn't freak. "Okay then. I wonder how Grayson is doing now-a-days." he said. "Well, last I heard he was exiled as well and is now in the Badlands somewhere." I said. I didn't exactly know where he was but I hoped to find him again. I noticed Drake's eye was white now. "What's with the eye?" I asked. "It's a long story." he said, looking away. I didn't ask anymore about it. We finished finding what we could and left. As we left, a stranger was at the sign now. He was blonde but I couldn't see his eyes. "Wait a minute. Hey!" Drake yelled. The blonde left and went towards a forest. We followed through the forest. "Holy hell, the vegetation is thick here." Drake muttered as we went through the forest towards Alduin's Keep. "Hey! Behind you!" Drake yelled, speeding up. I followed him and noticed the stranger turned around. "Grayson?!" I gasped. "Amanda! Looks like we both had it bad in the Empire. I heard about your family. Sorry about that." he said. I noticed he seemed to be touche about it. "Did something happen to you?" I asked. "You might already know." he said. I shook my head. "Sorry, I don't. All I know is that you were exiled shortly before me and your house was burned. Your wife was hanged and your son drowned." I said. Drake looked horrified at what I described. It was normal in the Empire for either Emperor to overreact and cause whole families to be executed, like in Grayson's case. He just sighed and cast a look at the ground. "Well, so what have you two been doing since we parted ways?" he asked. "I've just been trying not to get found." I said. "I've traveled a lot. In and out of the Badlands, but mostly here in the Badlands." Drake said. "You guys thirsty? I can't imagine how far you two must have been traveling to get here." Grayson asked, handing each of us a bottle of water. I drank mine thankfully. I hadn't had water all day. Drake had a few berries as well. My stomach took that moment to rumble loudly. I burst out laughing. We all did. I dug out a pork chop and ate it, followed by a few berries. "So how have you been getting on, Amanda?" Grayson asked as we headed up a mountain to his place. I sighed. "Honestly, not well. I had a cabin but had to burn it down when mercenaries found it. I was chased out of Mortum and have been traveling around this area for a few days now." I said. I suddenly felt a slight pain in my arm but payed it no mind as we went up the mountain.

At the top was an old castle that reminded me of Ironmere. In about a week, it would have been 4 years exactly since Armen sacrificed himself to save us. It didn't really work as Herobrine just took my brother as his new body. One of Grayson's dogs started barking and bounded towards me. I recognized the scar on his shoulder. "Well, Grayson, it seems you tamed a friend of mine. I helped this poor guy when I first got here. He was stuck in a bear trap. I helped him out and healed his shoulder for him." I said. I rubbed the scar and in turn, he licked the wound on my shoulder. I winced at the slight pain it caused. He bounded away to sleep next to his friend. "Amanda, what's wrong with your shoulder?" Grayson asked, bending down to me. "I'm fine, Grayson. It was a branch." I lied. I knew it was an arrow. "It doesn't look like something a branch could cause. It looks more like an arrow wound." he said, seeing through my lie easily. "Okay, fine. I was shot with an arrow as the mercenaries chased me. I took it out and tried to bandage it. I think it might be infected right now." I said, grimacing as he touched it. I shoved his hand away. We went inside and he lit his fireplace. I looked out the window and saw a nightmare. Those things had plagued me for months. It was how I found out Armen wasn't dead. I looked back on the memory as Grayson and Drake talked.

_"It's freezing out, commander! Do we really have to do this?" a soldier complained. I glared at them. "Yes, now shut it." I ordered. "Yes, ma'am." they grumbled and huddled in their tent. I was standing just outside the gate. The rain poured down on me, but I didn't care. All I cared about was getting this mission done and getting back to my little girl. Ever since Troy had been murdered, she had been out of it. I had been more angry towards my soldiers that usual. And that was saying something. I never used to raise my voice to any of them. Now I just snapped at them any chance I got. I looked towards the enemy camp just a bit ahead of us. We were hidden behind a cliff so we couldn't be seen when we hit them. Just as I made to go back inside, a black creature was holding two of my men by their throats, chocking the life out of them. They died quickly and it tossed them aside. Two others made to kill it but I screamed at them. They didn't listen and were also chocked to death. I looked straight into its eyes and it floated towards me. All of my men were dead. It was just me left. I looked above the creature and saw someone I had given up for dead. "Armen?!" I yelled. One eye was the same blue as mine while the other was pure white, and full of hatred. I backed up a step but the creature grabbed my neck. "No! Leave her alone!" a voice yelled out. I couldn't see as my world blurred into darkness. I felt my body hit the ground and I was coughing, trying to bring air back into my lungs. I coughed again and opened my eyes. Armen was standing over me. "Amanda, I never meant for the nightmare to hurt you. I'm trying to bring back control of my body but it's not working well. Promise me you'll find a way to free me!" he said, like he was in hurry. I could see a pained look in his normal eye. "I promise, bro." I said as my world went black again and I passed out._

I had woken up back in the Empire, not completely convinced that was just a vision. I soon learned it was real. "Amanda?" Grayson asked. I looked at him. "Yeah?" I asked. "You're spacing out. I need to show you two a secret area of mine." he said. I shook my head to get rid of the memories and followed them down. I could see why this place was secret. There were so many maps! A cool bow was by the ladder. Grayson looked at a set of maps on a table in the middle of the cave. "You've mapped a lot of places." I said. "Yep. I'm trying to find this place from these maps. The land terrain is vastly different to anywhere I've been so I have no idea where any of this could be." he said, frowning. "Where do these lead?" Drake asked. "The Magic Library." I said. "How do you know?" Grayson asked. "I've heard of it. When I was studying in the Empire library, a book I was reading on magic spells mentioned it. I then began to find ways to do magic. It hasn't been easy but I finally figured out a few spells I can do. I'm nowhere near as good as you, Drake." I said. "How did you know I do magic? I never said anything." he asked. "I sensed it. Just like I can sense the Dragon Egg nearby. I'm not interested in it, but Grayson, if the Empire sends any mages after you, they'll be able to sense it anywhere." I said. The magic feeling in this room was overpowering. Drake felt it too. "Grayson, why don't we head back up? This place is nice but it's a but stuffy down here." Drake said. I gladly ascended the ladder. My shoulder was really hurting now. I winced a bit. I went outside and Drake asked if we wanted to come back to his place. I accepted gladly. It would be nice to have a roof over my head for a change instead of a cave or leaves. Grayson went inside to grab his backpack and I saw Drake wince. "Drake?" I asked. "Man, these headaches are getting worse." he mumbled. "What do you mean?" I asked, nervous. "I'll explain later." he said as Grayson rejoined us. "So, how does this teleportation work?" he asked. Drake just said, "Like this." I felt the familiar tug of the teleporting spell and came safely out. I saw Drake and Grayson step out as well. "I remember this place." Grayson said. Of course he would. He mapped it. Drake laughed a bit and showed us around a bit. I recognized a few artifacts I had myself. They were in my backpack. I felt a huge surge of magical power. Drake noticed how I started to look around. He went back outside and I saw a spire. "Ah, that's the source." I said. My talismans were a bit empty of magic. "Hey, Drake. Mind if I recharge my talismans here?" I asked. "Sure, be my guest. I'm going to set up an extra bed for you across from my usual spot. Grayson, I have an extra bed in my study if you want it." he said. Grayson nodded and Drake showed us his underground area while my talismans recharged. I was drawn to a second secret room of his. "Drake, is what I think is in there in there?" I asked. He nodded. "One of the Diamonds." I muttered. I felt a headache come on and I fell, clutching my head. "Amanda?" Drake asked. I got back up. "Something I don't like about those Diamonds." I muttered, wincing. We got back up and I finished recharging my talismans. I went to bed and dropped into sleep easily.

_I opened my eyes and saw the spirit world around me. I sighed. My portal was just a few blocks behind me. Another one was on a nearby peak. I saw Armen and Drake. "Wait, you're not a figment of my imagination, are you?" Drake asked him. Armen just remained silent. Drake sat on the peak as Armen disappeared. I came into view. "Oh, hi, Amanda. Didn't know you had the ability to get here." he said as I sat next to him. "It's still new to me but I'm used to it now." I said. "So, how much magic do you even know?" he asked. "As much as I could learn while in the Empire. I did more research at the Guild Hall in the Red Keep. I know quite a bit now." I said. He smiled. "It's nice to know that I'm not the only magic user out there." he said, leaning back. I stared at the moon above us. A nightmare suddenly appeared and I started falling. Drake grabbed my hand. It happened to be my injured side and my shoulder was hurting like hell. I grimaced but felt a hand grab my shirt. I turned and saw Armen. He placed back on the cliff. "Thanks, bro." I said. He didn't do anything and faded again. I put a hand on my shoulder and felt a warm gush of blood down my arm. I had lost a lot of blood before, when I yanked the arrow out. Now it was really taking a tole on me and I fell to the side. Drake caught me before I hit the ground. I panted as I looked into his worried eyes as everything blurred out of focus. I couldn't pass out now. Who knows where my spirit could wind up? There was a warning in the dream magic book about passing out in the spirit world. I could wind up in someone else's body or even hundreds of miles away from my body. Drake helped me back to my portal and I managed to get out._

I opened my eyes but it was strained. I could hear a voice calling my name. The figure above me was very blurry but came into focus as I blinked. I groaned a bit as I sat up. "Drake?" I asked. "You gave me a scare! What happened?" he asked, whispering a bit as it was still night and I could tell he didn't want to wake Grayson. "When I fell off the cliff and you grabbed my hand, you did it on the injured side so my wound got torn open and started bleeding again. I had already been weak from blood loss a bit and the wound bleeding again just made it worse. Sorry to worry you so much." I said. "Don't worry about it. I'm just glad you're fine now. If necessary, we can wait here an extra day so you can heal and get your strength back." he said. "No, don't take extra time just for me. I'll just regain strength along the way." I said. "Alright, but if you get too tired, let us know so we can stop early." he said. I nodded and we both went back to sleep to prepare for the journey to the Red Keep tomorrow.


End file.
